Many
Californians are not aware of a very serious and looming threat to
recreational fishing. Fish farmers who stock California lakes and
grocery stores are threatened by a legal case quietly moving through the
courts as well as the costly regulations being drafted by the
California Department of Fish and Game.
As a result of a lawsuit
several years ago against the State of California’s fish hatcheries,
Department staff working in concert with environmental groups, drafted
an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) including private aquaculture in
its regulations, even though the lawsuit and ruling only applied to state facilities – and not privately held fish hatcheries and stocking ponds.
Given
that California grows some of the healthiest and safest fish in the
world under existing regulations, one can only assume that the State’s
actions were not motivated by a public need, but merely by a political
agenda, one that anglers know has led to significant limitations on
ocean fishing off the coast of California.
As reported in the Riverside Press Enterprise,
due to new regulations being drafted by Fish and Game, fish stocking
could be a thing of the past once costly regulations are mandated for
every fresh water hatchery, fish farm and stocking pond, imposing
crippling regulatory costs annually on California businesses to perform
all kinds of inspections and monitoring for various species, many of
which are not even endangered or threatened. Such costs will lead to
businesses closing and popular fishing ponds and lakes simply abandoned
all together.
And
for the first time in over 30 years, new regulations will require
fishermen to purchase fishing licenses to catch privately stocked fish
on private property as well as private fee for fishing lakes.
If
private fish hatcheries become a thing of the past who will stock
California’s many lakes and ponds? Simply put when there are no fish,
there will be no fishing. Without fresh water fishing, California’s $2.4
billion outdoor industry will take a hit and so will its tourism
industry as fewer vacations are planned and less outdoor sporting goods
are purchased. This threat also impacts communities dependent on
recreational tourism, namely sporting goods companies and retailers,
boat sales/manufacturing, marinas, and bait and tackle shops. Moreover,
the price of fish at your favorite restaurant or grocery store will go
up as fish is imported from other states or countries.
Californians
need to contact Governor Jerry Brown and State Legislator and them to
urge the Fish and Game Commission to abandon new regulations that
threaten a lifestyle shared by some 1.7 million recreational fisherman
and industry that protects California’s jobs.